2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Dhonau
A surname of German origin, possibly referring to someone from the river Danube.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Dhonau. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dhonau surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Dhonau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dhonau, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dhonau
The surname DHONAU has its origins in the German-speaking regions of central Europe, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. The name is thought to have derived from the Old High German word "dôn," meaning "to resound" or "to make a loud noise," suggesting that the original bearer may have had a booming voice or lived near a noisy waterfall or river.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Codex Manesse, a medieval manuscript containing poems and illustrations from the 12th and 13th centuries. Among the authors featured is a certain Walther von der Vogelweide, whose full name is sometimes recorded as Walther von der Dhonau, indicating a possible connection to the surname.
In the 14th century, a wealthy merchant named Hans Dhonau is mentioned in the municipal records of the city of Nuremberg, where he owned several properties and businesses. His descendants went on to become influential members of the local aristocracy, with some serving as city councilors and magistrates.
During the Renaissance, a notable figure bearing the name was Johann Dhonau, a German humanist scholar and poet born in 1492. He studied at the University of Wittenberg and was a contemporary of Martin Luther, with whom he exchanged several letters on religious and philosophical matters.
In the 17th century, a series of villages in the Bavarian region were known collectively as the "Dhonaudörfer" (Dhonau villages), suggesting a concentration of families with this surname in that area. One of these villages, Oberdhonau, was the birthplace of Christoph Dhonau (1615-1672), a renowned Baroque architect who designed several churches and palaces in southern Germany and Austria.
Another notable figure was Maria Dhonau (1779-1856), a German opera singer and composer who performed throughout Europe during the early 19th century. She was particularly admired for her interpretations of works by Mozart and Beethoven, and her compositions were praised by critics of the time.
While the surname DHONAU is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and regions of central Europe, with many bearers having made significant contributions in various fields such as commerce, academia, architecture, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dhonau
Among Census respondents with the surname Dhonau, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Dhonau bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Dhonau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 4
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dhonau
Dhonau appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,552 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 1,552 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Dhonau surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #157,234 | #155,682 | 1.0% |
| Count | 103 | 100 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dhonau bearers went from 103 to 100 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 1,552 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #155,682.
FAQ
Dhonau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dhonau?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Dhonau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Dhonau?
Dhonau ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 100 people with the surname Dhonau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Dhonau.
Has Dhonau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dhonau went from 103 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Dhonau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dhonau, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dhonau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dhonau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Dhonau (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Dhonau mean?
A surname of German origin, possibly referring to someone from the river Danube. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Dhonau (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Dhonau?
Want to know how many people are called Dhonau? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.